Subs and Technology

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by Tracey Brown, Instructional Technology Academic Specialist

If you've been following our blog for some time, you might be thinking, "this topic looks familiar..." You would be correct! We have written about this before, but that was in 2021, and a lot has changed since then including the make-up of our teachers and substitutes in AACPS. So we thought it was time to dust off this topic, update it where necessary and offer our best practices for leaving technology resources for subs in 2024.

Sub plans. A necessary evil in the world of teachers. How many of us have gone to work sick simply because we dreaded having to write up sub plans for the day? And when you find a good sub, you cross your fingers and hope they never leave your school!

Adding to the stress of writing sub plans is the ever growing number of digital resources that they need to access in order to fill in for the day. What can they access? What can’t they access? How can they get all the links and videos needed? 


To help plan for those inevitable absences, here are some FAQs about substitute teachers and technology:


Do I need to leave my login for the sub?

NO!!! Please don’t give your AACPS login information to ANYONE. This is a major security risk both for your personal information and that of your students. 


Then how do subs login? 

All AACPS substitutes have their own AACPS username and password to get them into the system. This is what they should use. 


I need to leave a (fill in digital tool here) link for the sub. Will they be able to get into the program?

Sub accounts have access to the following:

  • Outlook Email 

  • Google Drive and all Google Apps

  • OneDrive

  • Brightspace

  • Classlink

  • Google Earth

  • YouTube


Why don’t they have access to everything like we do? 

Many of our applications are subscription based, like Discovery Education, iReady, and Scholastic Literacy Pro. This means we pay per person for using the service. Other approved applications like GoNoodle, and Kahoot are not managed by AACPS and each user must set up their account individually.


If the sub can’t get into the program I need them to, what can I do? 

We recommend placing links into Brightspace for students to access directly. This works well for Discovery Education, Lumio by SMART, Nearpod, Wixie, etc. If known ahead of time, the sub can be added temporarily to the Brightspace course by the teacher so they can model for the students where to go. If not, the sub plans should include the steps for students to access the resources shared in their course. 


So what can I give subs digitally?

If you know who will be covering your class you can share your plans and any slide decks directly with the sub in Google Drive or OneDrive. You can also go the “old-school” route and print your plans and leave them on your desk. The PRO to this method is it gives them an easy place to leave you notes about the class, the CON is this won’t include clickable links for them to follow. So let the content contained in the plans determine how best to share it.


What about the devices?

We recommend that students are assigned a specific device to use each day in class. This can reduce login time and eliminate the need to reinstall any apps used on the Chromebooks. If you have implemented this sort of system, you will want to leave your sub the roster or sign out sheet of who is to use which device, and what is the distribution/collection procedure. Don't forget to include whether students will work in pairs or if shared devices will be exchanged in between activities.


Where can substitutes learn how to use the technology available? 

The OIT website “Teacher Intro to Digital Tools” is available to all substitutes on Classlink. They should look for the “T” icon. 


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